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Benedict Cumberbatch

Benedict Cumberbatch is a British actor who was born into a dramatic family. Both his parents, Timothy Carlton and Wanda Ventham, are actors and Benedict followed in their footsteps, studying drama first at Harrow and then at Manchester University and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.

Benedict has had several theatre roles and was nominated for an Olivier Award for his performace as Tesman in Hedda Gabler in 2005. He is, however, more famous for his TV work, which starting with Tipping the Velvet in 2002 and Cambridge Spies in 2003. In 2004, he was nominated for a TV BAFTA for after appearing as Stephen Hawking in a biopic about the mathematician's life.

Cumberbatch broke into the mainstream playing enigmatic sleuth Sherlock Holmes in the BBC's Sherlock, alongside Martin Freeman as Dr Watson, before hitting the big screen with roles in Atonement (2007), Steven Spielberg's War Horse (2011), Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (2011) and The Hobbit (2012). His role as World War II mathematician Alan Turing in 2014's The Imitation Game earned him a Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild, BAFTA and Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.

He dated In The Thick Of It actress Olivia Poulet for over 12 years before they split in 2010. In 2014, after a year of dating, Cumberbatch announced his engagement to theatre and opera director, Sophie Hunter. They have one child together.